For the reproduction of alphanumerical indicia, patterns and the like, it is common practice to employ cardboard or paper stencils which have previously been formed with openings of the desired pattern and through which ink is rubbed, wiped or sprayed to apply a pattern corresponding to that of the openings to a surface. Such stencils are used to a considerable extent in shipping departments or the like where a particular alphanumerical text must be applied to packing cases or the like in quantity.
The preparation of such stencils has heretofore been carried out in various ways. For example, a metal master having a single letter or in the form of a frame provided with a number of alpha numerical patterns can be applied to a paper layer and openings can be cut in the latter using a stylus or blade. Variour machines have also been provided for this purpose, although most of them have been relatively complex, difficult to set up and inconvenient to use. For example, it is frequently required to make cutting dies in a reverse or mirror-image pattern so that the stencil will have the desired orientation when cut.